Disease survivor organizes annual conference

By Linda S. HumphreyCorrespondent

Published: Friday, March 7, 2014 at 1:57 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, March 7, 2014 at 1:57 p.m.

An Ocala woman diagnosed with Lyme disease followed the prescribed medical regime for 11 years, then took an alternative path. Now, Sue Vogan works to inform others about her experiences through writings, an online radio show and by hosting an annual physician’s conference, which this year will be held March 13-16 in Tampa.

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The 2014 Physician's Roundtable will be held March 13-16 at the Tampa Westshore Marriott, 1001 N. Westshore Blvd., Tampa. Contact Sue Vogan at peerobmagazine@aol.com, call 717-254-1953 or visit her website.

“Every speaker and exhibitor has been hand-selected,” Vogan said. “It takes me a whole year to select. In 2008 we had the first conference in North Carolina. Our last several have been in Tampa.”

She expects about 400 to 600 attendees this year.

“Productive exchange of information, peer networking and the best in products and services are the core of the conference. It’s never about money, since we donate profits for furthering science,” Vogan said.

It was in 1997, while living in Lawton, Okla., that Vogan became sick for months with what she thought was the flu. During a visit with her physician, she asked the doctor to look at three rashes on her upper arm. Following an appointment with a dermatologist, Vogan was diagnosed with Lyme disease, which is spread through the bite of infected ticks.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, ticks can attach to any part of the body but are often found in hard-to-see areas such as the groin, armpits and scalp. In most cases, the tick must be attached for 36 to 48 hours or more before the disease can be transmitted.

“It wasn’t flu season and I knew there was no reason for me to have the flu. The doctor said I must have gotten it back east, as they didn’t have Lyme disease in Oklahoma. He put me on antibiotics for 10 days,” said Vogan, who moved to Ocala in August.

She said the symptoms returned and the doctor prescribed 30 days of antibiotics, followed by 60 days and 90 days.

“Every time I got off the meds, I got sick again,” Vogan recalled. “About a year later, the rashes came back and I went into a high fever. Many think only ticks can cause this disease, but even mosquitoes can spread this, according to Dr. Garth Nicholson, an expert in the field.”

Vogan said she carried the symptoms of Lyme disease until 2008 and was close to death following two heart attacks and a stroke during that time. She said months of treatment with herbs and probiotics brought her to wellness in 2009. Today, she said, she is free of all symptoms and is living a healthy, happy life that she has dedicated to educating and guiding others who suffer from the disease.

“I bought the book ‘Healing Lyme’ by Stephen Buhner and began following the suggestions,” she said. “My cognitive issues came back; I had no fatigue, headaches or poor eyesight.”

When one medical professional told Vogan her illness was pretty much in her head and she should get a hobby, she decided to write a book and start a radio talk show. “In Short Order” airs 3 to 5 p.m. online every Sunday at www.blogtalkradio.com/in-short-order.

“It’s another way to put the word out there about Lyme disease. And we cover other topics. This is the show that brings the experts to you,” Vogan said.

“I began organizing medical conferences and physician’s roundtable seminars to include medical doctors, osteopathic, chiropractors and numerous other health-care advocates,” she added.

Vogan previously worked for doctors and in labs and felt she would be in the line of work that would require her to look under a microscope all her life. And, she holds to the philosophy that when a part of life is over, sometimes other doors open and people have to look for those doors.

“Landing in Ocala was a blessing,” said Vogan, who soon will be inducted into the Sacred Medical Order of Knights of Hope, an organization that supports anyone who wants to seek natural remedies and alternative methods for care and healing.

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As with many health care issues, there are divergent views.

Dr. Paul Mead, Activity Chief in the Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Bacterial Disease Branch of the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, cautions those affected with Lyme disease to research carefully their choice of treatment.

“Although many products have been touted on the Internet as remedies for Lyme disease, antibiotics are the only known effective treatment. Some alternative treatments for Lyme disease are dangerous. If you have questions about a drug, medicine, supplement or combination of these, consult a pharmacist,” Mead said.

Mead said approximately 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported annually to the CDC by state health departments and the District of Columbia. That number has been relatively stable over the last four years, he said. Most Lyme disease cases occur in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and upper Midwest regions, with 14 states accounting for 96 percent of all reported cases, Mead said.

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Emily Martinsen is a licensed social worker and marriage and family therapist in Ocala. She met Vogan through someone who was recovering from Lyme disease.

“This acquaintance told me about the physician’s roundtable and conference and I have attended two now and am excited about this one coming up in Tampa,” Martinsen said. “I was blown away by the conference, which offers an alternative healing field. Sue is amazing. She has a lab tech history and she’s written eight books. I have been referring a lot of my patients to her and we do joint consultations. She has a lot of conversations with hundreds of doctors around the world regarding contaminate diseases.”

Martinsen said the physicians who participate in the annual conference are on the cutting edge of alternative medicine.

“The roundtables are dynamite. We want people to get relief. Many are desperate. Some have seen between 20 to 30 doctors with no answers,” Martinsen said.

Vogan said that in 2015, she will begin holding the conferences in Orlando.

In the meantime, she is seeking a medical doctor with whom she can work to create an affordable energy clinic, and she also wants to create webinars for clinicians.

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